Guidance for chemical engineer on MBA

Question

Hi,

I am a Chemical Engineer with BS, MS and PhD in the same. BS is from India. MS (GPA of 3.69) and PhD (GPA of 3.79) are from Mississippi State University, USA. I plan to get a MBA to help me grow into CTO or CSO (strategy) at an energy/chemical/Environment/specialty materials multi national. I have been working for last 6 years as a technology manager in India interfacing with customers, understanding their technical needs, providing right solutions and offering after sales support. 
(specialty chemicals MNC) I would like to go to a good school in US for MBA but I at the same time I do not want to end up in a huge debt. I am 35 yrs of age right now with family and I want be financially scrupulous. Hence I want to make sure I get good scholarship where I am going for MBA.

To do a thorough research and take proper decisions, I intend to go for incoming class of 2020. I am currently preparing for GMAT and quite confident of 700+, perhaps even 720+. Tentatively, I plan to apply from the following:

1. Sloan
2. Tuck (??)
3. Fuqua
4. Kenan-Flagler
5. Darden
6. Mccombs
7. Owen (vanderbilt)
8. Fisher (OSU)
9. Foster (UW)
10. Goizueta (Emory)
11. Smeals (Penn State)
12. Babson (??)

From the above I would like to narrow down to max 8 schools that I may apply. I, intentionally do not want to consider schools in CA.

Can you please advise me on the schools, I selected. I hope I am on the right track.

Thanks for your help.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey dprchem , Welcome to GMATClub

I have moved your post to the right forum where Admission consultants can chime in.

Your profile looks quite different and exciting from a typical Indian Engineer. So, a good GMAT score will really help you but at the same time you need to provide strong justification on why so late because you are on the higher age range. I have a quick question for you : Why aren't you considering Executive MBA? All the best

dprchem · Answer

Hi Abhimahna,

Thanks a lot for your help on my post.

Thanks for your query on EMBA, I need some help on this. I did not want to swamp my first post with too many questions so avoided touching on this subject.

Looking at class profiles at various B schools, I definitely saw that I would be a much better fit in an EMBA class where the median age is usually around 38 and median work experience is usually around 10 -12 years. However, I have following queries regarding choosing between MBA and EMBA:

1. Do both these have same value?
2. Most of the EMBA are usually held only on weekends and some times even on alternate weekends. I can understand that this suits students working in the area of the Bschool. But for International students (who are not expected to take full time employment on F1 visa), I am not sure how this will pan out. I mean - Taking alternate weekend classes for usually 18-21 months. Can you please comment on this?
3. Typically is EMBA better or MBA for scholarships?

Thanks a lot for your help.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey dprchem , Thanks for your queries. I would prefer to make a list of all the queries and add it to the first post itself. This way you have better chances of getting response on all of them. To answer your questions, I think I am not the right person as I am no much aware of EMBA program. I hope you get your answers soon. All the best

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

Consider the following points dprchem:
 
  The profile contours look interesting however it will be important to understand the brand of your employer as well as impact of your work. These would really drive the overall case for you. 
  For reasons mentioned  here , we do not speculate on school selection. However, given the academic pedigree, you should push really hard on that GMAT front and definitely look at achieve the higher end of your target spectrum (maybe beyond that too).  
  MBA after 30 is indeed tricky; read  here . Given that perspective, you should aim for MBA sooner rather than later. There is still sufficient time to research and target the 2019 intake for sure.  
  This is what we say on  EMBA vs MBA . Most mileage basically at your current firm but given that you are currently in India, your choices get severely restricted unless you move geographies.  
  If you delay the MBA plans, you may also want to explore Sloan Fellows/Stan MSx programs that might be better fit with the age/experience range.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Thank you for your detailed post. I think you have a very good range of schools identified and if you go the EMBA route then you can get a bit more aggressive in terms of ranking as well. The EMBA will enable you to learn from others who are successful in their career and also managing teams or companies. There are various different formats so if you want to study for a week at a time vs just weekends you can certainly do that. See below for advice on considering the options and reach out if you want further help. We have clients at many of the schools you identified so we can also give you the feedback on what the degree does for your career from each. I did my undergrad at MIT and MBA at Wharton. Have you considered Wharton EMBA? https://www.personalmbacoach.com/single ... MBA-Option Best, Scott Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

dprchem · Answer

Hi  MG4MBACrystalBall ,

** Somehow, the system is not allowing me to quote your post**

Thanks a lot for your encouragement. I will be pushing myself further on my GMAT. I am not so sure about EMBA being an international. Most of the EMBAs are held once in 2 weeks and are suitable for professionals already working in the area of that particular BSchool. On F-1 visa, anyway I would not be allowed to work full time between the class schedules. So I am still searching if there is a EMBA program that is more frequent with less gaps in between so I can do it even with F-1 visa. However, at the moment, it looks unlikely. 
Thanks a lot for pointing out Sloan Fellows/ Stan MSx programs. I am doing more research on these. Sloan Fellows particularly looks very exciting.

BTW, I have been following MBAcrystalball articles for a while now,,, wealth of info!!,, Thanks for again directing me there.

Regards

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

Thanks for the kind words dprchem.

Yes, there are quite a few issues and the value prop of an EMBA is always a big suspect so be very careful before investing on that route.

Do share what you decide eventually and all the best.

dprchem · Answer

Hi  MG4MBACrystalBall ,

Thanks. Sure. Will keep posted on developments.

Regards

dprchem · Answer

Hi Scott (@PersonalMBACoach),

Thanks for your advice. EMBA would be difficult for international students as we are not authorized to work on student visa. Wharton of course is a great school. Can you please let me know how they do on Scholarships/internships?

Thanks.

Guidance for chemical engineer on MBA

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